Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition for PlayStation 2

GF Rating

7

Good

A True Farming Sim

posted by SimDoctor (EAST BERLIN, CT) Oct 19, 2006

Member since Aug 2006

8 out of 8 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game offers all of the things you would expect to see in a farming sim. Everything from raising cows and chickens to selling fish and crops at the market is available here. The game is strangely addicting as you work to make the farm a success and become popular with the townspeople. Graphically, the game was pretty good, but there is a major glitch with animals getting stuck on one another in the pasture, making it a hassle to use the expensive milking room. Also, it was very easy to make a ton of money, but it was wasted in the second half of the game with nothing to spend it on. Much more could have been done with the storyline as it occurs on, and off, the farm. This is a good, clean, game for kids and a nice change of pace for older players looking for a respite from the high action genres. Overall, not too shabby.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

ehh, I'm Iffy

posted by GameVamp (SPRINGFIELD, IL) Aug 9, 2006

Member since Dec 2004

7 out of 7 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game was Iffy for my taste, I mean I've heard a lot of good things about it, but I'm not a very patient person, so It was a very slow game and I didn't much care for it. But if anyone reads this please don't make this review keep you from trying this game, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean you won't. If you arn't a pitent person and don't like to do things that take time, then don't suggest this game, but if you are a person who likes to work at things and be perfect then this game is deffinetly for you. But It wasn't for me, so good luck!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Special Edition

posted by REfinally (TEMPE, AZ) Apr 30, 2006

Member since Apr 2006

7 out of 7 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I don't see how people don't like this game. I think AWL\AWLSE are the best games in the HM series. There may not be that many new features but a new elagable bride and a freeplay mode!!! I'd by it any day. It is mostly the same stuff ya know take care of farm find wife raise kid all that. It's awsome!!!!!!!!!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Hi, I'm a Harvest Moon Addict.....

posted by MrsDiana (KINGMAN, AZ) Jun 17, 2008

Member since Jan 2008

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game is beyond addictive! I played it to the very end and am still in shock at how my little adventure in farming ended.

I adore this game... simply adore it!

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GF Rating

4

Weak

decent but .....meh!

posted by dinobot6x (BELLEVUE, WA) Aug 15, 2008

Member since Dec 2006

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

i've played both Harvest Moon a wonderful life boys and girls for gamecube. i found this one to be very simular to the other 2. the added bride possibility is nice and the chance of having a son or a daughter is a nice feature but I enjoyed the gamecube ones better. they were smoother graphics with no lag or loading time. it would have been nice to add more characters to interact with and add in the girls side as well. the joystick control was very touchy when planting and watering. if you move too much one way the character moves too far away to water the square. if you've played the other 2 there won't be enough diffrent to buy it. if you've never played the wonderful life series. i'd recommend the gamecube versions.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Ok game

posted by KH2fan (ANTELOPE, CA) May 12, 2006

Member since Apr 2006

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

This is a good game to try i would reccomend this to anyone at all.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

better than the previous edition definitely

posted by beachbabe (NEW YORK, NY) Apr 15, 2006

Member since Nov 2005

3 out of 8 gamers (38%) found this review helpful

It's much better than the previous editions.Better graphics of course.But the area you can explore is limited and you have to be very patient to play this because you have to wait for the plants to grow,and basically lots of repetition.But i bought this game from gamefly because I have the patience and love animals :)

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

harvest moon a wonderful life

posted by hotbetty (BEDFORD, MA) Mar 8, 2013

Member since Jun 2012

this game wasn't very creative and the made the characters walk slowly the only things they changed were that you could marry lumia and they're is also a box to sell crops in if you have a gamecube and a copy of this game don't bother renting this one because it is the same exact game with tiny changes

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GF Rating

5

Fair

So Slow..So sad...needs work.

posted by greg137 (CALDWELL, ID) Sep 14, 2010

Member since May 2010

Ps2 is a much larger and much more powerful machine than the gamecube! Sadly this game actually runs slower than it did on the other two for gamecube.. This version has character pop-ins, and slugish movement it is rather disappointing tuth be told. This game needs streamlining for tighter controls, but if you don't have a gamecube and only have a Ps2 then you might try to get this game otherwise if you have a Gamecube or a Wii the get the gamecube verions. There is another game for Ps2 called Havest Moon: save the homeland which gives a good idea of what a Ps2 Harvest Moon should look like!!!
Wonderful life even for Gamecube would have been better had they made just one game and had given you the choice of being boy or girl, but if you are planning to get wonderful life for gamecube you might want to pick between either the boy version of the game or the girl version. Reason is boy and girl versions are the same except for the gender. This version for the ps2 is basically a redo of the boy version of the wonderful life series! The only real difference between them is the performance issues Gamecube wins here, verus this Ps2 which has one more bride available (lumina) so, this one wins on that front... But it IS YOUR wallet so, you will have to make that choice yourself!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

One of The Better Harvest Moon Titles

posted by JimiPage (POTTSVILLE, PA) May 19, 2010

Member since May 2010

While I've been a fan of Harvest Moon since the first day I took a chance and rented Harvest Moon 64 so many years ago. After which I invested in every title from SNES to Gameboy to Playstation etc. This is the best in the series aside from the N64 and PsOne. Its the longest one but I think it's worth it. Im no farmer geek but I enjoyed the "romance" as well as the fact that this is a great RPG that's not fighting and saving the world from destruction. Give it a chance.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Harvest Moon WLSE is Great!

posted by naruto42 (CHASE CITY, VA) Nov 6, 2009

Member since May 2007

I think the game is great and the game is the best in the series.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

A review for this game:

posted by BULLY123 (PRATTVILLE, AL) Jun 10, 2009

Member since Jul 2008

The game is good. But if you have Wonderful Life for the gamecube then you might not see much of a diffrence. See Takakura was friends with your dad, and then you learn that he wanted to be a farmer and left you a farm. After some talking Takakura asks you if you want to be a farmer, answer "yes". Then your farming life begins! (If you answer "no" then you leave and Takakura becomes sad and handles the farm himsef.) After your done meeting the people then your life begins. That's all I'm gonna say now but I'll let you see what happens next! Don't forget, enjoy the Wonderful Life! :)

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GF Rating

7

Good

Just Another HM

posted by LuvLee (Four Oaks, NC) Aug 6, 2008

Member since Apr 2008

Its pretty much same concept as all other HM. I have mostly played the games for my DS and love them. This was my first I tried for the PS2 and got very disappointed. I turned the game on and played for about 30mins. Then turned it off and packaged it back to return this morning.

I felt like I was in slow motion, and when others were walking around, they WERE in slow motion. And walking through a door, clicking on an item to view something and among other things you do, there IS a load time !!! Other little annoying perks I had with the game. Just can't deal with these things.

This is how I felt about the game. Others might not mind those issues I had with it. A good game I am sure.

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GF Rating

7

Good

It is a Wonderful Life, after all

posted by cjdurbec (CAMAS, WA) Jul 15, 2008

Member since Jun 2008

My kids, ages 8 and 13 love this game. It is one of the few games they ever regret having gotten rid of. Probably not as entertaining for adults as it bored me senseless, but they could play it for days on end. This whole game, like all of the Japanese "questing" genre, is like a Tomagotchi on megadoses of steroids. You have to interact with everything and everyone. Godzilla would have been a nice addition to shake up the town every now and again.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Bored me to Tears!!!!!!!

posted by slr11368 (MARYSVILLE, PA) Jun 11, 2007

Member since Jun 2007

I have seen great reviews for this game so I rented it. To my surprise, I thought it was very very boring. Lacked interest very quickly. Now I'm hesitant to try the other series. The graphics are bad, the menu isn't very organized or specifies clearly. This is good to learn how to live and work on the farm; that is if you like this kind of thing. There are long paths leading to places you want to go but it takes forever to get there, and if you are returning well good luck! I GOT LOST MANY TIMES TRYING TO FIND MY WAY BACK HOME.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Very Great!

posted by Hithere (CHANTILLY, VA) Apr 6, 2007

Member since Apr 2004

Surely YOU want to buy it. No Doubnt!!!!! In The Game, I even have a Horse...

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

Harvest Moon Has Eclipsed!!!

posted by Maikeru (TROY, OH) Oct 13, 2006

Member since Jul 2006

I have come to love the Harvest Moon series much like a lot of other people have. This one just hurt to even look at! From the terrible control scheme, to the poor graphics and lack decent character interaction, this game suffers horribly! I thought a jump to the PS2 would improve this game, but I was wrong!!! There has been one other Harvest Moon game released for the PS2, but I think I will skip that one! Maybe just to save face if at all possible...Natsume you have dissapointed me! If you're a Harvest Moon fan stick to the old school PS One version, and the ones for the Gamecube!!

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GF Rating

4

Weak

I musta missed its heyday...

posted by gamescout (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) Jul 18, 2006

Member since Apr 2005

Harvest Moon was made by Amish rebels on maryjane: it's a video game where there's nothing to do but live off the land like our forefathers, and everything moves in very slow motion. The key to being successful seems to be waiting. The game forces you to do lots of it. Farming could've been as fun as everyday suburban living like in The Sims, but every mundane action was made more mundane with the slow motion. Why does every person, animal, grass in the breeze, etc., have to move like they're submerged in mud? I hated having to stand there for 7 or so HG minutes just for a sheep to finish one "baa" before I could interact with it. Each hour in an HG day is approximately a minute in real time, but so little happens in 24 hours that it feels like half a real day has gone by.

My disappointment must be because I didn't play HG during its heyday. I understand the original was a big hit when it came out, and this edition is basically the original. But today its older technology holds it back. Beware the load screen. The game is highly dependent on it and it will come up a LOT, because it comes up when you do very common things... whenever you use/stop using your map, pause/unpause, walk through a doorway, etc. Certain repetitive cut scenes will come up on the dot, disrupting anything you're doing at the moment. Oh, and trust me, you'll want to choose your wife carefully. I got mine because she was the the first one of my choices to say yes, but as a farmer's wife she's too high maintenance. Makes survival much more difficult. The kid we had is more like her than me. And there's no divorce here, so I'm stuck with her for life. By the way, looking like kewpie dolls like we do (see screenshots) and having a kid... disturbing sight. I'm going to return this syrupy sweet Mickey Mouse stuff and trying out A Bard's Tale.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Not so wonderful

posted by Gypsyqueen (CINCINNATI, OH) Jun 20, 2006

Member since Jun 2006

I adored the original, Back To Nature, so I could not wait to try this one. The graphics are indeed much better than BTN but at such a great loss to the game play. This version moves very slow, there is so little of the village to explore and the interaction with the other characters down to a minimum. So much of the charm and playability is lacking with this version. Basically, if you have played BTN you will be greatly disappointed with this version. I played for a couple of hours and then shipped it back. Did not care for it at all.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Nice concept, insufficient finish

posted by SenexCowan (SAVAGE, MD) Apr 21, 2006

Member since Mar 2006

I don't like animals or romance. I rather suspect the game appeals more to people who like those things.

The game forces you to perform too many rote tasks that ought to be abstracted, and prevents you from doing things which are interesting. The decision of whether to plant watermelon or tomato is important; remembering whether you've watered them this afternoon is neither important nor fun. Talking to people to "make friends" (a concept never really explained) requires that you hammer on them with the x button and guess when they're done saying interesting things. In general there are too many things that have to be done repetively, and too few interesting, consequential decisions. Repetition is tedious - decisions make games interesting.

If somebody rebuilt the game, and brought it up to quality, I'd gladly play it.

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Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

GF Rating

Number of Players

ESRB

Buy